Creep - Jennifer Hillier [129]
“Shhh.” His voice was soft, and she was glad when he finally took her hand. “There’s time for all that later.”
“We need to talk about it.”
“We will. But not tonight. You need to rest.”
Was he angry with her? It was hard to tell. Before she could say anything else, a discreet cough came from the corner of the room near the doorway. They both looked up. Sheila could see the shape of a tall man but couldn’t make out his face. Instantly, her stomach tightened again.
“It’s okay, darlin’.” Morris squeezed her hand, careful not to touch the IV needle stuck there. He waved the stranger closer. “Were you able to get it?”
The man nodded and passed something to Morris that Sheila couldn’t see. Morris looked at it and grinned, and it was a typical Morris grin, ear to ear. It warmed her.
“Sheila, I’d like you to meet my son Randall. I believe the two of you have been in touch via e-mail?”
A younger version of Morris stepped closer to the bed. His hair was longer and straighter and there were fewer pounds on his tall frame, but there was no mistaking the resemblance, right down to the grin that lit the young man’s face. “Hey there, Sheila. It’s so nice to meet you finally, circumstances notwithstanding.”
Sheila stared up at Morris’s oldest son in surprise. “Randall!” Holding out her other hand, she grasped his wrist. “I can’t believe you’re really here. I’m so glad.”
“It’s because of you.” Randall bent down and kissed her cheek. Placing his free hand on his father’s shoulder, he said softly, “Thank you.”
Morris looked at his son with so much love that Sheila thought her heart would burst. Then Morris turned back to her, his eyes watering. “He’s right, darlin’. You did a good thing.”
Randall gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. “I’ll wait for you outside, Dad.”
“No, stay. Please.” Morris looked at Sheila and cleared his throat. He seemed nervous and she felt a stab of alarm. “I have something that belongs to you. I know we have a lot to work through, and I know it will take time, but I’m hoping . . .” His lip trembled slightly. “I’m hoping you’ll say yes again.”
He slipped something shiny onto her finger. In disbelief, she lifted up her hand and gazed at it in wonder. Though her wrists were still bruised and a needle was stuck in her vein, she felt a smile light her face.
Morris had given her back her engagement ring.
CHAPTER : 44
Roseburg, Oregon, was chilly in November. But something about the crisp air and the misty skies cleared Sheila’s head. She sat on the veranda of the large ranch house, a thick wool blanket wrapped over her coat, looking out into the gray day and feeling better than she had in a long time. It was Visitor’s Day. She was probably the only person dumb enough to sit out in the cold waiting for her visitor, but she wanted to be the first person Morris saw when he pulled up to the New Trails Treatment Center for Addiction.
The front door to the left of Sheila opened, and Melanie Rudder, one of the ladies in the administration office, poked her head out.
“Holy cow.” Melanie wasn’t even all the way outside but her arms were already wrapped around herself. “It’s freezing out here.”
Sheila smiled at the younger woman from her rocking chair. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
Melanie shook her head in disbelief, shivering. She held out what looked like a postcard. “Here, this came for you. I must have missed it when I was handing out the mail this morning. Quick, take it before my arm freezes and falls off. Looks like it’s from your work.”
She dashed back inside once Sheila took hold of the glossy postcard. Melanie was right; there was no mistaking where this was from.
The front of the card showed a picture of the grounds of Puget Sound State University in the autumn, specifically the quad in the middle of campus where the huge water fountain sprayed mist into the air. In the background stood the old, brown-brick George Herbert Mead psychology building where Sheila had worked